URL Inspection Tool
The URL Inspection tool is the Google Search Console feature that reports a URL's authoritative index status — indexed or not, the canonical Google selected, and the last crawl date — and queues priority crawls via Request Indexing.
The URL Inspection tool answers the question every other method approximates: is this exact URL in Google's index? A site: query is unreliable and third-party checks are inference; URL Inspection reads from Google's index directly, which makes it the ground truth for per-URL diagnosis of search engine indexing problems. It sits in the search bar at the top of Google Search Console — paste any URL from the verified property.
For an inspected URL, the tool reports the index verdict, the canonical URL Google selected (next to the one you declared), the last crawl date and crawler, how Google discovered the URL (referring sitemaps and referring pages), and whether crawling and indexing are permitted. A live test fetches the URL in real time to compare the current page against the indexed copy — the fastest way to confirm a fix is visible to Google before the index catches up.
The Request Indexing button submits the URL to a priority crawl queue. It is the sanctioned way to expedite one URL, with three constraints: it queues a crawl rather than guaranteeing an indexing outcome, it processes one URL at a time, and it stops accepting submissions at roughly 10–12 manual requests per property per day. Inspection works only for properties you have verified — you cannot inspect or submit URLs on sites you do not own.
Quick facts
What does the URL Inspection tool show?
For any URL in a verified property, the tool reports six facts read directly from Google's index:
- Index verdict — "URL is on Google" or the specific exclusion state, such as Crawled – currently not indexed
- Google-selected canonical — which version of the page Google actually indexed
- Last crawl — date, time, and the crawler used
- Discovery — the referring sitemap and referring page that led Google to the URL
- Crawl and indexing permissions — whether robots.txt or noindex intervened
- Live test — an on-demand fetch comparing the live page against the indexed copy
How does Request Indexing work, and what are its limits?
Request Indexing places the URL in a priority crawl queue; Googlebot typically fetches it within hours to a couple of days, well ahead of the natural crawl schedule. It does not skip quality evaluation — a page Google judged not worth indexing comes back to the same verdict after the requested crawl.
The button caps out at roughly 10–12 manual submissions per property per day; past the cap, Search Console reports the quota as exceeded until the next day. For one urgent URL it is the right tool. For hundreds of URLs the arithmetic fails, which is where sitemap-wide signals and bulk submission channels for getting a website indexed on Google take over.
Can you inspect a URL you don't own?
No. URL Inspection works only for URLs inside a Search Console property you have verified — ownership gates both inspection and Request Indexing. Index status for pages on other domains (competitors' pages, or backlinks pointing at your site) requires external checks: a site: query for a rough signal, or a bulk Google Index Checker for reliable coverage across many URLs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Request Indexing guarantee the page gets indexed?+
No. It guarantees a priority crawl at most. Google applies its quality thresholds after fetching, so a thin or duplicative page returns to the same exclusion verdict it had before the request.
How many URLs can you submit per day?+
Roughly 10–12 manual requests per property per day through the Request Indexing button. The cap resets daily, and requests beyond it are rejected with a quota-exceeded message.
Why does URL Inspection say indexed but the page doesn't rank?+
Indexed means eligible, not ranked. The page is in the index, but ranking systems place it below the visible results for your queries — a relevance and authority problem, not an indexing one.